Playing Fair
by Tabitha Dornoc
Summary: [oneshot, RikuKairi, slight SoRiKai] Riku and Kairi take a breather.


**Disclaimer:** Not my characters.

**Warning: **This is a snippet of a relationship, sort of. Riku/Kairi, but written with the intent that it functions (when Sora is around) as a Sora/Riku/Kairi relationship. Sora isn't present here aside from a few mentions, and if the idea of the three destiny island kiddies having a mutual (albeit unconventional three-way romantic relationship) squicks you, I'm fairly certain that you can read this as a Riku/Kairi with Sora as a side friend, if that is your strong desire. If the very thought of a SoRiKai just makes you squirm, I would play it safe and not read it at all. Wow, all that warning for a quick PG piece. :D (Oh. Also warning for teh sap.)

**Playing Fair**

"I'll never forgive you if you stop," she said into her pillow. Riku smiled wanly, and she could feel the upturn of his lips through the fingers pressing into her back. His touch was roughened, a little like Sora's, but more cautious since he stopped wearing gloves everywhere. Yet calloused fingers could kneed-out tension just as well as soft ones, mm, yes they could.

Her breath hitched and he took it as a sign to push harder. Fingers dipping into her skin, leaving fingerprints scattered across her shoulder blades. With each nudge, each stroke, each palm pressed sharply into a stubborn muscle, her whole body shifted forward; upwards. Back and forth, guided by his hand, like the quick tide that slides against the edges of their hometown. It was a slow, familiar rhythm. A soft friction. The way his touch across her back pushed her against the bed. She curled her toes and fought off the light blush when she realized the rhythm was one of gentle sex, but oh, this was _better_ than sex.

She moaned, her toes pushing against the mattress, raising her heels and her calves upwards. Riku, propped over her lower back, nudged her legs straight with his left foot.

"You should be more careful," he said, finding a new knot of rigid muscle. "You're worse than Sora."

"Play fair." When she talked the air from her lungs lifted her fallen hair away from her face. It itched, strands over her nose and eyelids, but if she pushed it away Riku would have to pause for a moment and – "Ngnnn."

He leaned forward, body bending over hers until his face hovered by her neck, then by her ear; his quick breath in-and-out to the time of his heartbeat. He touched his fingers to the curve of her jaw, under her messy hair. They burned.

"My fingers aren't in the habit of playing fair. But they beg your forgiveness all the same," he murmured, and she laughed lightly, turning her face into the caress of his friction-warmed skin. He touched his lips to her neck, dryly and reverently before trailing one last touch down her naked back. Pulling away, he swung one leg around her, catching himself on the left side of the bed. He bounced for a moment, balancing on the balls of his feet, arms around folded knees.

"Yeah?" he asked, instead of the unnecessary 'is that enough?'. Kairi was all but melted into the bed but managed to glance up at him and smile her thanks. Slowly pushing herself to her knees, she turned to him with arms crossed over her chest.

"Yeah," nodding. She turned away from him for a moment, unfolding her arms as she stretched across the bed, fingers grasping at her discarded bra. Riku wasn't quite gentlemanly enough to turn away, and she hadn't asked him to. He liked the way her spine curved when she twisted, each small bone pressing against her skin. Or the folds of her shoulders when she pulled her arms into the bra's straps. He watched with abject fascination as her fingers quickly pulled the back of her clothing together and hooked the ends together first try. He grinned, recalling the way Sora struggled with it indefinitely until Kairi sighed and unhooked it herself.

She turned back, adjusting the straps and under-wire so bluntly that he raised an eyebrow at her. She blew a raspberry at him and stuck out her tongue for complete rebuttal overkill. Riku grabbed his heart, made a pained face and crumpled to the bed.

"Slain by the princess' rejection," he murmured from behind his hand. Laughing, Kairi tugged at his elbow gently.

"My poor knight." Pulling his hand away, easily without resistance, she leaned over his chest from the side. "How shall I make it up to him?" She kissed his mouth, sideways, and they both laughed as their lips mostly missed. She had to sit up and shuffle until she straddled him lightly before the kiss landed properly. Her hands skittered beneath his collarbone until he drew away, gasping.

"Hey," she said suddenly, pulling back, watching his face. She frowned at him for a moment, squinting her eyes at him in perfect Kairi scrutiny. Running her fingers along his chest, she prodded and pressed in a decidedly non-sexy way. Grunting, Riku tried to swat her hands away. "Riku, I swear... Take off your shirt," she ordered, leaning back.

"Kairi-"

"Take. Off. You. Shirt," she insisted, tugging at the bottom herself.

"It's nothing."

"Hopeless, idiotic, stupid _boys_. What did you _do_?" she asked, exasperated. Riku looked away, mouth pressed thinly. So she smacked his head.

"Hey!"

"You don't get to look like that. _I_ should be looking at you like that. Why didn't you get Sora to deal with this?" His shirt was off, peeled away. Her fingers brushed across the top of his skin, bruised an ugly blue and deep yellow at the juncture of his arm and torso. Riku wasn't strong at most magic, not the way Sora was. Sora could snap out a magic spell as quickly as Donald himself could, though not as strong as the duck's yet. Riku wasn't a fan of it, preferring the weight of his sword and the push of his own stamina. Kairi didn't think she had a magic bone in her body, though the analogy made Sora laugh himself silly when she made it. _But you're a witch_, he insisted, then quickly amended he simply meant _the other you, Kairi, ow, let go, stop, Riku help-_.

"Wasn't here," Riku answered, finally, eyes cast to the ceiling. His wide hands gently encircled Kairi's and tugged her touch away. "It only looks bad," he said with a grin.

"Sora's going to kill you," Kairi murmured, eyes not leaving Riku's scarred, bruised shoulder. "What happened?" she pressed again. Shuffling a moment, she slid down so she was lying on top of Riku, chin coming to his sternum, well clear of the injury.

"Dragon," he said stiffly. "Ah. Little one," he continued at Kairi's disbelieving snort. "Won't even scar," he whispered. Scars he had enough of anyway; they all did. Kairi hummed at that, propping her chin up and whistling the air out of her lungs. Riku shivered, twitched, but said nothing.

"How can I look after you if you don't say anything to me?" Kairi moaned, rolling off him. She slid off the bed quickly, at such a force and angle her knees nearly gave out. Shaking her head, she tore into the adjoining bathroom of their rooms. "You haven't even put anything on it, have you?"

"It's not your _job_ to take care of me, you know, I'm-" Whatever Riku was going to say quickly got caught as he slammed his lips together. Kairi was looking at him the way thunderclouds mysteriously gather quickly and fiercely. She all but threw the small jar she obtained from the washroom onto the mattress space beside him, then sat down stiffly.

"I'm just going to pretend you didn't say that, okay?" She unscrewed the cap and Riku wrinkled his nose. He lay quiet, even when her fingers touched his shoulder and it was cold and it burned and it was horrible. Riku knew how to deal with most of Kairi's moods. Deal, of course, meaning he knew how to _survive_ them. (Something Sora had yet to master, which often led itself to Riku's guaranteed entertainment, generally like clockwork once a month.) Her face was pinched and raw, and she looked angry but that wasn't it. Riku knew how to react to an angry Kairi, but this was a stung Kairi. So he kept quiet and waited, and her eyes were dry which was good. Because _nobody_ knew what to do with a crying Kairi except fall all over oneself trying to make it better.

There was no cream left on her fingers, she was just circling the skin slowly, rubbing in what had already been rubbed in.

"Kairi," he exhaled softly, and she pulled her touch away.

"This is why we shouldn't split up, you know," she said, looking off to the side. "I wrench my back, you get flambéed... who knows how Sora's going to come back." It had become like habit when they made camp at the King's castle that they'd each go where their expertise were needed. Sora was almost always gone which didn't make much for a break in Kairi's mind, but he was off with Donald and Goofy, never failing to come back more cheerful than when he left. So maybe breaks did work that way.

The King had asked Riku for a private conference just after breakfast, and then Riku had gone off for the day as well. Around noon Kairi had hopped her own gummy flight and worked about Radiant Garden, fighting against the shadowed edges and slowly rebuilding the town in a way that didn't involve a hammer and nail. The Gardens thrived when Kairi was near; they recognise their princess, as Sora would say.

And of course, come day end, they'd return to the castle and... Kairi closed her eyes and curled up by Riku. Her nose quickly pressed to his unhurt side and grasped at the side of his shirt.

"We're still so messed up," she said, fingers tightening. Riku exhaled loudly, as if he had been hoarding many breaths for the past few minutes. He made no move to disagree. She shifted a little, curling her body backwards, allowing a series of bone snaps to echo around the room. "Ow," she said, unnecessarily.

"We're still so _very_ messed up," Riku answered, his hand shifting down her back, cradling her lightly to his side. His fingers along her worn muscles, hers by his burns. "I won't tell Sora if you don't," he mock whispered, a playfulness threaded into each word.

"Hah. Alright." A quiet moment as their breathing evened out and their lungs fell in tandem. "You know," she broke the quiet, "If anything ever happened... I'd miss you." It was the closest thing to I Love You that Riku would allow. For now, at least. "Another me, too," Kairi said, smiling a little along his collar bone. She glanced up and caught his small smile. Treasured it.

"Likewise."


End file.
